At SIFF Cinema it has been Film NOIR CITY: Lust and Larceny week, and I saw four more top notch black and white features from the 40's and 50's. Monday featured a film written by Tod Browning who made the horror classic FREAKS in the 30's. INSIDE JOB (1946) is definitely a "B" movie, but very fast paced and entertaining, about a young couple who try to rob a department store and become chased by police and the dapper mobster who was trying to do it himself. There's some tragedy by the end, and as is typical of many noir films, there is no happy ending. The second feature was of much higher quality--HUMAN DESIRE (1954) with a first rate cast including Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Broderick Crawford and the great director Fritz Lang. It felt like I was watching THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, but this is based on Emile Zola's novel "La Bete Humaine," and the characters weren't quite so driven and evil. The cast made this moody melodrama engrossingly watchable.
Tuesday night featured RED LIGHT (1949) but I don't know why that was the title. When a priest comes home from the war and is murdered in a revenge killing, his brother (stone faced George Raft) seeks some revenge of his own. The film has lots of religious symbolism (a missing Bible has the key to the killer's identity) and many various refrains of the song "Ave Maria" are used on the soundtrack, and there are several really funny moments: watch for the blind soldier, and the irony of the final shot. The co-feature was WALK A CROOKED MILE (1948), done in a semi-documentary style showing how the FBI tries to track down culprits who are stealing atomic plant secrets for the Communists. The film was rather talky and plodding for me, but interesting for Raymond Burr's menacing Lenin look-alike character and the sophisticated (for it's time) gadgetry (like car phones, spy devices, miniature cameras, code busting equipment, etc.) All in all, a most entertaining series of FILM NOIR.
Several weeks ago I forgot to write about a film I saw on DVD which I think is deserving of some positive attention. Director Ang Lee, the Oscar winner for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, made a modest little film this past fall which was dismissed by critics and audiences, mostly for the criticism that there was "no Woodstock music" in it. The film was called TAKING WOODSTOCK, and is "inspired" by a true story about a family who inadvertently played a pivotal role in bringing the Woodstock music festival to White Lake, New York in 1969. The focus of the film is on the family, played by Demetri Martin as the college educated son who is trying to help his folks out of debt, Henry Goodman as the hard working father, and an amazing Imelda Staunton (see VERA DRAKE) as the stubborn mother who doesn't understand the significance of any of the "hippie" culture that descends on the town, but is mighty impressed with the financial windfall. There are wonderful turns by Eugene Levy as the farmer whose land the festival is being held on, and Liev Schreiber as an "alternative " security agent helping out....in a dress. The film is very warm, heartfelt and funny, and very much in the likable way Ang Lee creates his characters---humaine. So many scenes are created to look just like the iconic photos of the Woodstock festival--and the set design and clothing and hair styles are right on. It's NOT the music that matters in this film---it's the people and their story. It is a very GOOD film.
The OSCAR show is on Monday March 7th---just a little over one week away, so for all you procrastinators, my predictions are pretty similar as other film folks......Jeff Bridges seems long overdue for CRAZY HEART, a film I didn't care that much for except for Bridges (see earlier blog), Sandra Bullock seems likely for a career thank you for BLINDSIDE (but I'd prefer the amazingly endearing Julia Childs of Meryl Streep to win for JULIE and JULIA), and the supporting roles seem to be well deserved locks---the powerful Mo'Nique (for the amazing PRECIOUS) and the insidious Christopher Waltz for the entertaining and dynamic INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. UP seems destined for Best Animated Feature and music score, but I would not be sad to see FANTASTIC MR FOX or CORALINE win either. Director Kathryn Bigelow seems a good choice for THE HURT LOCKER (and it helps that she was once married to her competition James Cameron who won for TITANIC and is up again for directing the technical wonder AVATAR.) I think AVATAR will be limited to some technical awards. UP IN THE AIR seems a likely winner for best Adapted Screenplay. Not so sure for Best Original Screenplay--I'd love to see SERIOUS MAN or INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS win but the money is on HURT LOCKER.
Now, for me the surprise may come in the Best Picture category, what with 10 nominees and the winner must have the majority of first place ballots--different from past years when just the majority of votes for 1st place were counted. Academy members must now indicate their 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice and 4th choice films. If no film gets the majority of 1st choice, then the lowest voted 1st choice film is thrown out and the vote counted again, and so on. I'd love to see A SERIOUS MAN or PRECIOUS or even INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS win. The odds-makers seem to suggest AVATAR (the biggest hit) or HURT LOCKER (which relatively few people have seen) will win the big award, but I think there may be a surprise here.
In any case, my favorite (likely non) winners besides the previously mentioned, which you should see, are A SINGLE MAN and THE LAST STATION and INVICTUS.
PLEASE SEE my earlier report on the TOP FILMS OF 2009 in early FEBRUARY for more great movie-going options.
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